The Iron Beam laser defense system, on display in Singapore for MDEX, is expected to be operational this year. (Rafael)
JERSUALEM — Rafael is targeting Southeast Asia and European markets, including customers like the United Kingdom, as potential adopters of its naval air defenses, a company executive tells Breaking Defense.
The Israeli firm is showcasing its portfolio at this week’s International Maritime Defense Exhibition in Singapore and is also preparing for the Combined Naval Event conference, which will take place in the UK later this month.
According to Ran Tavor, Rafael’s vice-president and head of naval systems, 80 percent of the output for naval directorate is exported, with 25 customers worldwide. The hope is that these two market could provide opportunities for expansion.
“We’re seeing growing interest worldwide, particularly in the Asia-Pacific and Europe, where navies recognize the need for multi-layered naval defense systems. As security threats in these regions evolve rapidly, there is a clear demand for precise, combat-proven, and readily available solutions,” Tavor said.
In particular, he talked up the company’s naval Iron Dome system, called C-DOME. That system is now operational in Israel, and has worked against rockets, drones and other threats, the executive claimed.
“We have more maturity with the modular configurations and mission modules, and the main point here is to share some of the operational elements in terms of what we are now seeing,” he said. That modular design means “We can equip vessels very fast and we are ready to deliver in short term to the customers.”
While Rafael doesn’t provide a precise cost of the interceptors used for Iron Dome, other publications have said they cost around $50,000 each — a significantly cheaper option than the kind of expensive defensive weapons used on most navies.
Tavor emphasized that the company views sea-based defenses the same way it does its land-based systems, as part of a layered approach with both soft-kill and hard-kill options. In addition to C-DOME and the Typhoon gun, which are both kinetic interceptors, Rafael is looking at the Iron Beam laser weapon.
The company expects Iron Beam to be operational by the end of this year, he said. Globally, there is hope that directed energy systems like Iron Beam will be able to provide the same kind of defense against shorter-range weapons that Iron Dome does, but at a fraction of the cost.
Interestingly, he noted that navies will need to really plan out where they put the defensive systems aboard a ship, particularly if the two systems are integrated together. The Iron Beam needs a clear view of the target to work, whereas C-Dome launches vertically. They can be added to existing open spaces such as a helipad area.
The executive also stated there is interest globally in incorporating its SPIKE NLOS missile onto small attack craft or unmanned vessels, saying there is “growing demand” to try the weapon on different sizes of USVs.
“What we see is a growing demand in market segment of combat boats,” Tavor said about the NLOS, which has a 32 kilometer range. “Now everyone understands that in order to strike back, you don’t need to have big ships against other big ships; you need many small vessels running fast or in limited [shallow] water and have the lethality.”
